2012 is for all of the Big Four

Neutral Omes:

2011 has been the year of Novak Djokovic - and with the results of recent months lest we forget. Of course it wasn’t long ago that we’d crowned Rafael Nadal king of 2010. With the great era of tennis we currently find ourselves in - the likes of the best of the best all competing in such rich form at the same time - monopolies may come as a shock, as it’s often points here and there that determine results. But because with so little, in terms of skill and will to separate the best, confidence has become the most coveted and necessary weapon; and confidence is the fuel for monopoly. 

We are lucky to have a top four that is literally - in the literal sense of the word - a top four. They may shift amongst each other but it will be a huge ask for any outsider to penetrate that inner circle with audacity. Still it must be said that the remaining top ten is indeed worth boasting about and hardly comes as a surprise. But as long as Novak, Rafa, Roger and Andy are willing, it will be difficult to imagine a no.5 or higher next to any of their names.

It’s been Novak’s year, but it’s also been Rafa’s clay season, Andy’s Asian swing and Roger’s end of year. Even with the dominance of Novak this year, the rest of the big four never failed to remind everyone that they were still in the picture. I think 2012 will be a leveller. All have proven they have what it takes to take it. Novak’s gotten himself out of Rafa and Roger’s shadow, Rafa has shown everyone that in amidst of adversity, he still owns the clay, Andy has shown more of the kind of play that everyone wants him to adopt (remember 6-0 in the final set of Tokyo against Rafa?) and Roger has once again proven he’s not a decrepit old man descending into mediocrity. 

So as we hit the reset button and look ahead to the new season once again, we need be aware that there is plenty to prove for the big four. Each knows what can happen when one man’s confidence is allowed to overflow and all will be looking to stem that flow should it begin. Competitiveness in 2012 may just reach unprecedented levels; and with the Olympics being a welcome addition to the year, should certainly make for nail-biting 12 months.

(Pic: Getty)

Andy Murray Tennis: The Most Hilarious Video of Life

Fanatic Omes:

*DEAD*

(Vid: Tomfoolery Central on YouTube)

Marat champions the funny.

Fanatic Omes:

A winning Marat = a funny Marat. The beauteous creature scored his first ever win on the ATP Champions Tour, then continued to win at life:

Chortle chortle. Homeboy seems to be enjoying himself which is nice to see.

Ps. I'm not sure whether to be exceedingly petrified or thoroughly amused at the thought of Marat in office. So I'm gonna go ahead and say petrifused.

 

Andy brings the LOLZ

Fanatic Omes:

Andy plays that game where you pick your favourite answer out of two related categories. Sounds bland simple enough but it quickly turns into one of the most intentionally/unintentionally hilarious interviews ever with our dear boy. Observe:

(Vid: kikirikimiki2 on YouTube)

Andy Believes

Thumbs up indeed.

Neutral Omes: 

One thing I’ve always admired about Andy Murray is the belief he has in himself. Don’t let the grimaces and growls, shoe-lace attacks and sole-smacks on the court fool you – he doesn’t genuinely believe he’s rubbish. That habitual self-deprecation ensues because for every unforced (or indeed forced error) he makes, Andy strongly believes he could have, and definitely should have done better, idiot!

And that’s why he’s one of those guys that relishes a challenge. Whether it’s zapping Novak Djokovic’s winning streak - few players would have been as audacious as he was in taking it to red hot Novak (who was on match no. 37 in the streak at that time) the way he did in the semifinals of Rome (we won’t speak of the losing-despite-being-two-points-away-from-victory malarkey); or boosting the number on his side of a losing head to head battle against Rafa Nadal, bagel and all, to capture the 2011 Tokyo title. Andy Murray isn’t scared of playing anyone. This attitude is why after any loss the first thing you hear Andy say is how fast he’ll be back in the gym - as if to say “there’s always a way, I’m up for the next one”. When he takes to the court, he’s one of those few players that always believes he will win - whether he does is a different matter - but the self assurance is there.

So then how can a guy who believes in himself as much as you claim struggle with aggressive play so much? I hear you say. Well kind fellow, lack of belief in your ability to pull out a win against any player on any given day is different from the lack of belief you have in a certain playing style that’s not necessarily your go-to one - Andy doesn’t suffer from the former. And sometimes, when you face the best defenders in the game, your just not allowed to be aggressive. While in these cases it may be more difficult to win playing defense, for Andy it’s never ever far fetched.

Andy Murray may believe in himself, but I'm not sure he believes that statue is himself.

Much like Federer, Andy has what I would call a ‘decent reserve of natural confidence’ which stems from this deep rooted self-belief, and is different from the sort of confidence that grows and shrinks with form. Other guys like Rafa, believe it or not, need to keep reminding themselves they’re the best with match-play - without which self-doubt can easily creep in. I’m not saying Andy is immune from self-doubt (or indeed that Rafa lacks self-belief), neither am I ignoring the fact that Andy does tune out sometimes and never fails to post those resident questionable losses. But they never make him feel like he’s only as good as the matches he wins, and even when the big loss of 2010 in Melbourne Park saw him lose it for a while, I still maintain it never affected the underlying belief he had in himself.   

It’s interesting, not to mention very revealing that the main reason Andy is happy with his new no. 3 ranking (surpassing Roger Federer for the first time) following a flawless Asian swing, is literally because that’s the best he can do this year due to Rafa and Novak’s stellar results. In his post finals interview with Sky Sports at Shanghai, he stated that he was always aiming for the no. 1 spot at the beginning of the year: 

“[The no.3] is not something that I aimed for at the start of the year – you want to try and finish no. 1 if you can - and after US Open that just wasn’t possible, so I just re-assessed my goals and wanted to try and finish the year no. 3.”

So he’ll take the no.3 but he’s hungry for better. Yes every top player aims for that no. 1 spot, but it just seems Andy genuinely can’t imagine it won’t happen for him. He’s king of the post-Slam season so far, and if he takes this form to 2012 there’s no reason why, much like Novak did this year, he won’t perform the way he believed he could all along. 

(Pics: Getty)

Rafa's other ball game.

Fanatic Omes:

Per marca.com Rafa will supposedly be playing football for a third division Manacor team. He will play for the team when time permits and will be sporting the no. 9 shirt.

Wait, what?

(Info courtesy of onthegotennis on Twitter; Vid: ksyuzi on YouTube)

 

Upon my word, this is cute.

Fanatic Omes:

Uterus is happy.

(Pic: Tiurong Huatrust)